Waterdeep
It breaks my alarmingly still heart to see the fate that has befallen the City of Splendors.
Waterdeep is not the City of Splendors it once was. Tyrannical leaders abuse their power. The streets are often deserted save for patrols of Zhentarim who enforce twisted laws, while every back alley hides armed thieves and dark secrets. Hordes of undead, raised by Vecna himself, huddle throughout portions of the city, filling the air with the constant stench of undeath.
Though Manshoon and Vecna maintain a facade of mutual trust and cooperation, they wage a cold war for control over their council of puppets, the sixteen Masked Lords of Waterdeep. The nobility and citizens of Waterdeep begrudgingly accept all this and have even become numb to the fascism, because life could always be worse: they could be forced out of Waterdeep and into the Doomed Forgotten Realms.
The dragonward in the Tower of Ahghairon repelled Tiamat and her brood, protecting Waterdeep from all destruction… until Vecna arrived. The Walking Statues came to life to confront him, crushing buildings and citizens underfoot until Vecna learned the secrets to subjugate them. Now, the giants that stood still for centuries walk predictable laps around the city, protecting the Archlich from outside threats. But within those shaking buildings, the Zhentarim scheme to overthrow Vecna and take back their city. Are the Zhentarim’s careful machinations one secret Vecna has yet to learn?
Citizenry
Waterdeep remains cosmopolitan and diverse, but no one wants to stand out when the Zhentarim jails dissenters and Vecna throws them to hungry nothics. The divide between the nobility and the common citizens has only widened, and the city’s wealth is reinvested into upscale wards in the form of magical defenses, while other sections are left to crumble.
During the initial days of Manshoon’s rise to power, floods of citizens were driven from the city or had the displeasure of having sharp objects driven through them. Those who stayed believed they were beyond the danger, capable of buying safety or selling secrets to draw attention to others. When Vecna’s shadow loomed over the city, everyone was quick to realize how little control they had, and fear gripped them all.
Religion
While Manshoon saw the temples of Waterdeep as a source of tribute and political information, Vecna brooks no rivals. He rewarded iconoclasts who destroyed religious artifacts and artisans who replaced altars with idols in his image, then placed the shrines under the constant surveillance of nothics of Vecna’s creation, perched like fleshy gargoyles promising to report every little detail to their creator. Before long, all of Waterdeep’s once-illustrious temples became unrecognizable and marred. Some temple keepers lost all faith when the connection to their gods were severed, but a furious and faithful few are ready to become holy warriors against Vecna. They give unanswered prayers in secret, and some even hope Vecna finds them so they can spit at his feet and die as martyrs.
Noteworthy Information
Despite the strict laws and tyranny that rule Waterdeep, much of the city’s origins and magical history still imbue each and every stone. Here is some other noteworthy information for adventures that step into Waterdeep, the City of Splendor.
Dragonward
An unbreakable spell known as Ahghairon’s dragonward surrounds the entire city of Waterdeep, repelling all dragons from the city. This sole ward prevented Tiamat and her children from razing Waterdeep to the ground. However, there is rumored to be a lost staff—the dragonstaff of Ahghairon— which can allow dragons to utterly bypass the ward.
Undermountain
The infamous multi-tiered dungeon said to contain untold riches once sat directly underneath Waterdeep. But when Undermountain’s ruler Halaster Blackcloak found his apprentices turning on him, he took the entire complex and sequestered it within its own demiplane. All that remains now is an unfathomably deep vacuous chamber. The Undermountain’s city of Skullport, a nest of villainy, somehow narrowly avoided mass teleportation.
Walking Statues
Once the city’s last line of defense, the Walking Statues were a sight to behold. Towering constructs controlled by the Blackstaff, the eight statues were known as the God Catcher, Griffon, Sahuagin Humbled, Great Drunkard, Lady Dreaming, Honorable Knight, Hawk Man, and Swordmaiden. However, the statues are now under Vecna’s control, and the marching sentinels cast the city in shadow.
Government
Vecna rules Waterdeep and sees the city as the seat of his power. In the rare moments of his absence, the city answers to Manshoon, the crowned Wizard-King of Waterdeep. Manshoon is one of the few beings who isn’t completely terrified of Vecna, thanks to the many clones and simulacrums of himself that he keeps. Just like the nobility and the Masked Lords who ruled before him, not even Vecna is certain when he’s dealing with the real Manshoon.
The Masked Lords pretend they still have power and influence, but in truth, they are just pieces in a chess game between Manshoon and Vecna. If one of them becomes too weak or too powerful, they are discarded and replaced. The corrupt nobles of Waterdeep would do anything to stay on (or join) the council of lords.
Defences
The City of Splendor has two magical defenses: the invisible dragonward which keeps Tiamat (and her brood) at bay, and the building- sized Walking Statues of Waterdeep that constantly patrol the city, squashing wrongdoers with impunity. Beyond the magical protections, numerous sections of the city are claimed by legions of undead, acting as an “unnatural” deterrent. When a more organized defense is required than the aimless undead, Waterdeep is further supported by a standing army of the Zhentarim.
Industry & Trade
Waterdeep’s trade was once regulated by an alliance of guilds, but the only ones that continue to do business today have deep ties to the Zhentarim. Poison, drugs, and even smokepowder weaponry have become legitimate (and all three make it easier to control the populace). One of the hardest goods to come by is food, even as the population dwindles.
Waterdeep remains a supply hub, but now it only supports settlements in Vecna’s Alliance. Most of the supplies travel by sea, making them prime targets for the Bregan D’aerthe. These routes reach as far as the dwarfholds and Luskan to the north, and beyond Warlock’s Crypt to the south. The Waterdhavian guilds export stone shipments carved from Mount Waterdeep, trained Zhentarim mercenaries, and magical expertise in one shape or another. Vecna is a lord of secrets, but there are still a few brave smugglers who escape his one-eyed gaze and make a living by selling essentials at outrageous prices.
Guilds and Factions
A contingent of the Zhentarim loyal to Manshoon patrols the city, stamping out rebellion. Manshoon maintains a tense alliance with the city’s most infamous resident: Vecna, the Whispered One. The most trustworthy (or easily manipulated) associates of Vecna’s Alliance gather here occasionally.
History
Waterdeep’s fall from grace was preceded by a few quiet but important moments. First, Manshoon outplayed his rival crime lords to seize the cache of dragons, a forgotten hoard of more than half a million gold pieces. No one is certain how many of the Masked Lords he paid off to support his rise to power, but it was enough.
Those who might resist him—influential figures like Mirt, Volo (before he died), and Laeral Silverhand— were so preoccupied with the Cult of the Dragon that they left a moral void in Waterdeep. The final blow was dealt when Manshoon confronted Vajra Safhar. With no allies to support her, Manshoon wrestled the Blackstaff away and Vajra fled the city. After that, no one was left to stop Manshoon from becoming the first and only Wizard-King of Waterdeep.
Manshoon watched armies and cities fall to Tiamat’s fury while Waterdeep remained safe behind Ahghairon’s dragonward. When Vecna emerged with the powers of a god, Manshoon surrendered (some say enthusiastically; others think reluctantly). For all the changes in Waterdeep, one thing never changes— the city is ruled by schemers.
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